Big spending in 2017 allowed them to address areas of supposed weakness, and nobody has got close to them as they have swept to the top-flight crown.

Rather ominously for those hoping to close the gap in 2018-19, De Bruyne believes further additions will be made this summer as City seek to establish an era of domestic dominance at the Etihad Stadium.

"We have a great group of players right now and with a few additions here and there hopefully that will take us on to another level.

"Competition will be even tougher next season, not only in the Premier League but in the Champions League and cup competitions.

"If we want to keep achieving, I think competition for places is a good thing and only makes you try to improve."

City's recruitment policy is likely to see them once again keep an eye on the future, with the likes of Ederson, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus having already been acquired with long-term success in mind.

De Bruyne added: "Of course, the club has planned for this [by signing young players] and we want to make that [sustained success] happen now.

"It's no coincidence the type of players brought in over the last year or two have all been of a similar age and we'll look to build as a group together.

"The feeling amongst the squad is great. We've enjoyed the season a lot but there's work to do if we want to achieve more in the future.

"That can be the trickiest thing in football, to not only win but keep winning. Having such a young squad will hopefully help us to achieve that."

Fresh faces should also help City in their ultimate quest to conquer the continent, with De Bruyne admitting that the club are determined to complement Premier League triumphs with Champions League glory.

He said: "That's the next step for us. We've played some great games in the Champions League and we've not been too far away.

"Maybe we haven't gone as far as we would have liked, but there have been performances along the way that show we could do something special.

"It's great to play at the highest level and success doesn't come easy when you're playing against teams who've been around it for so many years.

"But we improved a little on last season and we'll look to do the same again next year. It's what we all want."